Friday, January 15, 2010

... one other thing

I wanted to put this in its own post, because it's important.

My friend L has been in the process of adopting Em, 2, who is in foster care, for eighteen months. Em doesn't live with L full-time, because they didn't find her until after she was placed with another family that happened to be friends with L. However, over the past year and a half, they have lived together for longer and longer periods, spending all vacations, weekends, holidays, birthdays, field trips, everything, together - just her legal guardian is still the other family, so she has to spend some time living there as well.

The case was supposed to be settled on Halloween, which is both L's birthday and mine. It was continued for three months, the judge said to make sure that there would be no further action by her drug-addicted, alcoholic, in-and-out-of-jail birth parents. The final court date was scheduled for the 31st of this month.

Two days ago, L got a call that the state has found distant relatives for Em in NJ. The entire process may fall through.

There's a meeting with this newfound family member, social services, and L next Friday. If it goes well, L still has a chance. If it doesn't, L could lose the baby who is effectively her daughter, and who has been calling her Mommy for over a year, with no chance of ever seeing her again, in the blink of an eye.

So, please, whatever karma, meditation, prayer, omen, spell, or balloon-wish you can send her way, do it. She's been crying, obviously, since she got the call two days ago. She can't have biological children of her own, and this girl is all her hopes and dreams in one little curly-headed bundle.

7 comments:

Nowheymama said...

Oh dear. I hope it works out.

And I'm so glad things went well with the girls.

d e v a n said...

Aw, man. :( I hope that she still gets to adopt her!! P&PT!

Anonymous said...

This makes me sick. How can they want people to adopt when such a thing is possible? How can they expect foster kids to get a good, loving home when this is how they treat adoptive parents? My thoughts are with your friends

Kristin.... said...

I'm going through something similar with a friend right now and it breaks my heart. I can't blog about it but it's all I think about. Thinking really good thoughts for your friend.

creative kerfuffle said...

omg this is so sad. i so hope your friend still gets to adopt her. blood relatives? so what? where have THEY been for the last two years? omg. stuff like that drives me insane. sending up prayers.

Stimey said...

Oh that is so heartbreaking. I can't imagine how torn apart your friend must feel. I hope the meeting goes well.

Not Your Aunt B said...

I hope she gets to adopt her. I will be praying for them.